When I first campaigned for the office of Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, I made a pledge that my office would always understand and behave with the knowledge that taxpayer dollars are "your money" - and I have done my utmost to deliver on that promise.

Within 4 days of my taking over the Comptroller's office, every one of the agency's expenditures had been published online, so you the taxpayer could see where your money had been spent. Now, only one year later, all 200 agencies in our state government have their expenditures posted online.

Now, I’ve begun an effort I call “Open Book Texas,” http://www.window.state.tx.us/openbook/ [1], that is designed to promote open government and smart spending, not only at my office, but throughout government in Texas.

Open Book Texas is divided into three different initiatives:

Texas Smart Buy, http://www.window.state.tx.us/txsmartbuy/ [2]

Texas Transparency Check-Up, http://www.window.state.tx.us/comptrol/checkup/ [3]

Single Set of Books, http://www.texaserp.org/ [4]

Texas Smart Buy takes advantage of the state’s enormous buying power to offer state and local agencies better prices through online ordering.

Texas Transparency Check-Up offers local governments step-by-step advice for posting information online and presenting it in a way that is accessible and understandable to the public. Additionally, we’re highlighting local government success stories and issuing report cards grading local governments on making their financial information transparent and accessible.

Single Set of Books will create uniform accounting standards for all different government agencies so that we can get a true picture of a department’s financial standing and know exactly where the money is going.

These initiatives will ensure that the government is open and accountable with your money. This transparency leads to efficiency as well, because when government operates in the sunshine, agencies have to justify their priorities and expenditures.

Making government more transparent to citizens remains one of my chief goals as your Comptroller. With the three areas of our Open Book Texas effort, we will continue to make the government more open to you the taxpayer.